Survival Mechanism
by Baileys
Summary: Fear is a powerful emotion, and not one Gibbs has ever been comfortable with. Post ep to season 1 'Missing' where in Tony is kidnapped and all Gibbs wants is to get him back. Picks up at the end of the episode, one shot, father/son.


Gibbs approached Tony, gun raised still.

"You okay DiNozzo?" He asked, unsure just by looking at him.

The sound of dripping water encompassed the sewer, the echo bouncing off the stone walls making it sound like it was surrounding them, like they could be drowned in a flood any minute. As if that wasn't enough the smell of rotten leaves and damp permeating the air emphasised the stench of rotting corpse and Gibbs knew without looking they'd find more bodies down here. He turned to Kate and nudged his head, indicating she was to arrest the waitress. DiNozzo had yet to answer him and though he would normally demand a response, judging by the state of him, Gibbs believed Tony was more likely to burst into tears before he'd admit to being a little bit not okay. With the feeling of desperation surrounding them Kate holstered her weapon and steadily moved forward, careful to stay out of his line of sight. She whipped out her cuffs and Tony flinched, his shaking hands increasing their grip on the woman.

Kate took the waitress's wrists in her hands, easing Tony away gently and Gibbs watched the exchange with a steady eye. His focus centred on watching Tony slowly step away, never losing the fearful wide-eyed expression that seemed to be permanently etched in his features. Lowering his weapon once she was cuffed and Kate was escorting her out Gibbs took a tentative step forward.

Tony flinched again, only this time it wasn't so subtle, he spun around and stepped back, nearly tripping over a pile of debris to fall backwards into the wall.

"Steady." He said calmly, grabbing Tony's arm to keep him on his feet.

Without letting him go Gibbs used the opportunity to give him a brief once over since Tony wasn't talking. He pulled him forward, inspecting his hands and face in more detail.

"A little banged up Boss, but nothing too bad." Tony's weak smile warmed Gibbs, giving him cause to believe things weren't nearly as bad as they looked right now.

Hand on his too warm for their surroundings cheek Gibbs moved Tony's head from side to side, taking in every bloody scratch and newly formed bruise underneath the layer of dirt. Satisfied for now Gibbs moved his attention onto their missing marine.

"You good gunny?"

The man looked half corpse himself, but after exchanging a look with Tony his hopeless expression changed to one of determination.

"Ah, hell. If the kids walking out then so am I."

Gibbs looked between his agent and the marine. Tony looked pleased with himself and Atlas just looked pissed off. He couldn't prevent the wide grin forming on his lips, Kate was right, only Tony could piss people off that much and still be walking.

Gibbs offered Atlas his hand which was gratefully accepted and with Tony on the other side they made the slow trip back to the surface.

…

"DiNozzo?" Gibbs called across the bullpen.

McGee had quickly vacated his desk and was stood looking lost by the big screen. Tony had just sat down, his butt barely touching the seat when Gibbs decided he was going to have to remind him of his promise back at the scene.

"Yes Boss?"

Gibbs glanced up to see DiNozzo staring at him looking clueless. At first he thought it was an act, part of Tony's attempt to milk the situation for even more attention than he'd already gotten. Abby had rode down to the scene with Ducky, which was highly irregular, but she made a point of stressing that if he never wanted his forensic work put to the bottom of the pile then he was to keep his comments to himself. Rarely would Abby threaten him, everyone else sure, but never him, so he'd grudgingly let her inside the police line to sit with Tony in the ambulance. An ambulance even she couldn't convince Tony to go to hospital in as it turned out. He'd refused point blank to both of them. In the end Gibbs was too tired to deal with the arguing and had agreed to bring him back to NCIS with them.

The deal was that he let Ducky catalogue his injuries and then took a shower before Gibbs even thought about letting him go home, but it seemed Tony had forgotten that part.

"Ducky?" Gibbs hinted, focusing on him fully.

Still no spark of recognition. Of his promise or that he'd even been spoken to.

"You agreed to see Ducky as soon as we got back." Kate clarified for him.

Had she not taken him up on his offer to work at NCIS Gibbs was sure Kate would have made an excellent kindergarten teacher.

"Come on," Gibbs sighed, standing and walking over to Tony's desk, grabbing his arm and pulling him up. "I'll take you."

Tony smiled, bright and nervous. His special 'I'm confused and don't know how else to react smile'. Tony was like a twelve year old when it came to emotions, he had them, just didn't know what to do with them.

"I'm good boss," he hedged, letting Gibbs drag him up and walk him to the elevator, "I can do my report."

Gibbs thought about telling him exactly why that might be one of the more stupid things he'd said over the years. However one look at the dazed and confused expression told him it would be a waste of energy on his part.

"We had a deal DiNozzo." Gibbs pressed the button for Autopsy and watched the doors close, resigned to the fact he'd have to make the trip too.

When no smart-alecky comment issued forth Gibbs tightened his grip on Tony's arm. By the look of him, falling flat on his face wasn't out of the question and Gibbs was in no mood to explain to Ducky where Tony got the additional bruises and added concussion.

…

"Well?" Gibbs pulled Ducky aside, leaving Tony to redress.

"Some deep cuts to his back and legs, most likely from being dragged across a rough surface. His jeans provided a little more protection than his shirt."

Gibbs nodded as he listened, the waitress wasn't exactly a weight lifter and to abduct Tony from the parking lot he suspected she hadn't carried him out.

"What about the drug?"

"Well that's a little more complicated," Ducky guided him to his desk, "The Brawn Abby found in your Marines cigarette, I'm assuming you're assuming Tony was incapacitated in the same manner?"

"Yeah," Gibbs nodded, waiting to see where this was going.

"Well with your Marine the concoction would have already worked its way through his system, I doubt he's in any danger, Tony however…"

"Less than 12 hours, got it Duck I'll keep an eye on him." Gibbs made to walk away, but Ducky pulled him back.

"Jethro where as we can assume he'll recover, you should be aware, the mixing of two very powerful drugs such as Cocaine and Speed, one being an MDMA and the other SSRI serotonin syndrome is a possibility."

"Ducky straight talk, it's been a long night."

"Serotonin syndrome occurs when the levels of serotonin in your brain become too high. It can cause some serious side effects."

Gibbs frowned, trying to hide his worry, but well aware he was making a poor job of it.

"Such as?"

"Confusion, a high temperature, fast irregular heartbeat, even unconsciousness, needless to say all these could lead to problems of their own."

Gibbs looked over Ducky's shoulder to see DiNozzo stood by the autopsy table, shirt on, but pants still in his hands.

"Well he's got the confusion down." Gibbs sighed, "He seemed fine when we found him."

"Probably the adrenalin," Ducky nodded. "His situation as it was the drive to escape would have released enough natural energy to combat the anti-depressive side effects."

"And when he stopped the drug kept working I get it Duck, I won't leave him alone." Realisation dawned on him, in the same way and with as much force as a car hitting a brick wall.

Ducky smiled at him softly.

"I told you you'd find him Jethro."

Ducky patted his shoulder and walked over to help Tony with his pants. Gibbs laughed out of relief. He was as uncomfortable as DiNozzo sometimes when it came to expressing his true emotions, especially when those emotions involved fear. Taking a deep breath and turning around he found Tony almost ready with Ducky kneeling down tying up his sneaker.

"Duck?" Gibbs strolled up to them, a frown on his face.

"It seemed the task was a little too difficult." Ducky said carefully.

Nodding and wrapping one arm around his back Gibbs guided an oddly compliant Tony out the door.

"I prescribe a hot shower and bed Jethro." Ducky called out to them.

Gibbs waved his agreement and once again headed for the elevators.

…

"Tony, you done?" Gibbs called from across the NCIS shower room.

None of the stalls had screens so in order to give him some privacy he'd sat off to the side. Clean clothes ready and waiting so all he had to do now was get him dry and home. Only home was becoming less and less of a possibility, it had taking him over five minutes to convince Tony to undress again, even longer he'd waited while he turned the shower on and began washing off the sewer grim from his skin and hair. Now he wasn't answering. Perfect.

"Tony I'm coming in," he warned, more for show than anything.

Gibbs was prepared to bodily drag him out, wrap him in a towel and throw him straight in the car if that's what it took to get out of there in the next ten minutes.

"I'm good boss," Tony answered him, appearing with a towel wrapped around his waist.

Now the dirt was gone the cuts were more obvious. Angry red marks streaking down his back and one side of his face gave the impression Tony was either very accident prone or had gotten into one hell of a bar fight.

"You in pain?" Gibbs asked, handing over his shirt.

"Nothing I can't handle." He answered quickly - too quickly. "I'm fine boss, really, you don't have to stop. I promise to drive straight home and go to bed."

If the continuous blinking was Tony's way of convincing him to leave it wasn't going to work.

"You forget what Brawn is DiNozzo?" Gibbs took the towel from lax fingers and rubbed it through Tony's hair.

Gibbs heard him make a sound, but nothing identifiable.

"Cocaine and Speed," he reminded him, pulling the towel off his head, leaving his longer than regs would ever allow hair to stand up at all angles, "which means you're coming home with me, no arguements."

Tony screwed his face up.

"What?" Gibbs snapped.

"You don't have cable." He shrugged, finishing doing up his shirt and moving onto his pants.

"Then read a book." Gibbs passed him his sneakers and clean socks.

Tony plonked himself down on the bench, this time doing everything for himself with ease. The tight feeling in Gibbs' gut relaxed a little seeing him nearly back on form. Although it was confirmation that it had been a very bad day when seeing Tony able to tie his own shoes made Gibbs feel proud.

"I prefer movies." Tony added standing and gathering his things Gibbs had already packed away in his rucksack.

Gibbs rolled his eyes and walked away issuing a snapped command that translated into 'shut the hell up and follow.'

"DiNozzo!"

Tony jumped to his feet and ran out after him.

"On your six boss."

…

"He's still a little out of it Duck." Gibbs whispered down the line.

"_I thought you said he'd improved after his shower?"_

"He did." Gibbs stressed, looking around the corner into the living room to check Tony was still asleep on the sofa.

He could have gone down the basement to make the call, but instincts told him not to let DiNozzo out of his sight for a second.

"_What changed?"_

"I left him in the basement with the TV to make coffee, when I got back he hadn't moved, not even switched the thing on."

"_Do you think you might be over reacting Jethro?"_

Gibbs glared down the phone. He could hear Ducky chuckle.

"_You're aware I can't see you, therefore that look has no effect on me right now?"_

"I'm not over reacting Duck," he stated with a reluctant grin.

"_Well take his temperature, and monitor his breathing, if he becomes distressed at all call an ambulance. Do not take no for an answer."_

The authority in Ducky's tone eased his fears a little, knowing someone else was in control and able to take care of things. This wasn't like him. He was normally the strong one, but for some reason his judgement was being clouded and all he could imagine was all the possible things that could go wrong.

"Yeah Duck."

His reply must have sounded more than a little dejected, because Ducky's next words were as a friend not a physician.

"_You're doing an excellent job, Jethro. I'm sure he'll be back to his annoyingly adorable self by morning."_

"Adorable?" Gibbs nearly choked with laughter.

"_Absolutely. Now go do as I've advised, then get some sleep yourself, sounds like you'll need it."_

With that Ducky hung up. Gibbs flicked his phone shut without question and decided he needed another coffee before he did anything.

…

"Boss?" Tony croaked, rolling over onto his side.

Gibbs removed the cool cloth from his forehead and threw it back in the bowl.

"You're temperature's a little high, Ducky's orders." He excused, feeling silly for getting caught.

Tony frowned at him and Gibbs feared they were going to go another round of 'what happened?'

"I'm good boss," Tony breathed, "I think."

Rolling his eyes Gibbs helped Tony to sit up. They sat in silence, Tony staring into the steadily burning fire. He'd been shivering not ten minutes prior to his temperature going through the roof for the third time that night and Gibbs was starting to think next time he called Ducky the only answer he'd get would be his answering machine.

Gibbs placed his wrist once again to Tony's forehead checking that the heat he'd felt radiating off him had indeed gone down.

"You're better." Gibbs stated flatly, "a little ways to go before I declare you 'good'."

Tony's slack jawed look broke into a sudden, yet natural smile. He slipped to the side, head coming to rest on Gibbs' shoulder, closing his eyes.

"I knew you cared really."

Not moving, not even a muscle Gibbs directed his gaze to the ceiling with a mix of disbelief, gratitude and wonderment. He was a mean bastard most of the time, smacking him in the head, yelling at him and threatening to fire his ass if he so much as stepped out of line. Yet despite his kicked puppy looks and straight 'none of this is new to me' face, somehow Tony knew he meant none of it. Somehow Tony knew he had his own insecurities to hide, and though he didn't wear them on his sleeve as obviously as DiNozzo did that didn't mean they weren't there.

For some reason Tony accepted him for who he was - better than that - he appeared to actually like him that way too. Gibbs wanted to kill Tony on some of their best days, yet he knew without a doubt he truly wouldn't be without him.

End.

A/N: short and hopefully sweet. Watched the classic ep 'Missing' from seasons 1 this morning (My first ever full episode of NCIS I ever watched all those years ago!) and wrote this. Hope you liked!

Still working on my multi-chapter 'Break' but that's a _little_ more plot heavy and I need my own break now and again to reset my brain ;D.


End file.
